Ian’s answer to “I am white. Would reading this book be an act of cultural appropriation?” > Likes and Comments
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This is a very childish response.
the QUESTION is childish! Is it even a serious question? Reading a book to learn about a topic is NOT cultural appropriation by any definition. the definition I see online is: adoption of the elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture. My "informal" definition is To take on an element on another culture with disregard/disrespect for significance of the element to the culture it comes from. I think that piece is important - it doesn't feel right to me (and I'm a person of color) that a person cannot have an affection, love and respect for something from another culture. We all running around here talking 'bout Namaste... is that cultural appropriation. Are we not NOT eat sushi, ... i could go on.... and THAT's why it seems a ridiculous question. Reading a book is like, is like eating food - it's ingesting.... It isn't cultural appropriation for a white person to eat gumbo, or jambalaya, or jollof rice or okra .... you get what i'm saying I'm sure... and so back to the point... the original question is completely childish and so without thought that it seems like a joke.
I innate white privileged ? Talk about a generalization! So much anger here.
Sounds like Ian got himself a heaping plate of innate white privilege.
White privilege is a thing and currently relevant. But I get your frustration about the dead evil white people thing - to a certain degree.
I'm white (mostly. the Turkish in me is very little. And I'm a olive-toned southern Italian (a good chunk of me at least) so for all I know there's some Moor in me) but my family never came to the USA til after slavery. And they were from Northern areas so no sketchy Southern stuff too like the killing of innocent black people due to bitterness over the civil war and awful crap like that.
My dad's family were poor immigrants from Italy and on my mom's side, she first gen american born in PA but raised in Puerto Rico. She speaks Spanish fluently. (I suck at it. But I want to improve!)
BUT. At the same time, it's a privilege of sorts to know my ethnicity. Due to the nature of slavery and how little was documented about the slaves - even their names were taken away a lot. Or at least their children were given white people names. But yeah, due to that, their ethnicity was more or less lost.
And African American culture sort of is a mix of southern culture and a hodge podge of African cultures - a melting pot of sorts. And there are people whom may never know their ethnicity because of the selfish actions of those evil white men. So I get the bitterness. I would be upset not knowing parts of my identity. There's a lot of depth to whom they are that they may never know.
Honestly, I'm iffy about payments NOW - as in in present time - to make up for slavery as all ex-slaves are deceased {may they rest in the peace, they deserve} (I DO think they - the ex-slaves - should have paid for sure and its upsetting they werent)...
...but I I think it would be neat to supply free genetic testing to people of African of descent or African immigrants (even visitors). The reason I'm including African immigrants and visitors as this would help identify traits and genes that would help differentiate what ethnicities African Americans are and heck, it would be neat to find someones relative along the way. If the people are close, someone could find out information about their newly discovered ethnicity.
I mean, how many white people think of themselves of European American. Besides maybe white heinz-57s who are a little bit of almost everything.
Also, due to the very real systemic oppression of POC and the vicious cycle within this society, affording a genetic test would be a luxury that many POC either couldn't afford or the money is better off splurging on something else - like toys for their child on x-mas.
People think focusing on race and doing stuff to make amends only widens the divide. This has been, unfortunately true.
But it is widely due to the white/non-POC dissenters and the people fighting making amends and denying white privilege.
If people just accepted things like racial profiling is wrong, a young black man does not equate a thug, every person should be treated the same no matter gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sex, age, etc and affirmative action is ok and BLM has point and so on and so forth, eventually the race issue would fade way.
All it takes is some owning up , not really due to the past, but the present causes by the past. And a united effort to even the playing field for everyone.
Something (a lot of) feminists are trying to do. as are egalitarians. basically they are the same thing. whether people want to believe that or not.
As soon as the field is equal, there would be no vicious cycle, harmful stereotypes would fade, the country would be safer in general (and this goes in every direction, including a POC could walk in a predominately white neighborhood completely at ease). Affirmative action would no longer be necessary.
And while the past will not be forgotten, the anger and bitterness and turmoil it caused could be laid to rest. The memory needs to stay, however, simply so history doesn't repeat itself.
/end. I'm blather on and on. I know. Just really wanted to get some points across. ^^;
I was kinda assuming Ian's inane answer was a direct reaction to the inanity of the *question*.
*the evils of dead white people you're still benefiting from on daily basis in almost every aspect of your white life
I'm two years late but Ian, if you read this, please know that your comment is pathetic.
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Alex
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Jan 09, 2018 03:57PM
This is a very childish response.
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the QUESTION is childish! Is it even a serious question? Reading a book to learn about a topic is NOT cultural appropriation by any definition. the definition I see online is: adoption of the elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture. My "informal" definition is To take on an element on another culture with disregard/disrespect for significance of the element to the culture it comes from. I think that piece is important - it doesn't feel right to me (and I'm a person of color) that a person cannot have an affection, love and respect for something from another culture. We all running around here talking 'bout Namaste... is that cultural appropriation. Are we not NOT eat sushi, ... i could go on.... and THAT's why it seems a ridiculous question. Reading a book is like, is like eating food - it's ingesting.... It isn't cultural appropriation for a white person to eat gumbo, or jambalaya, or jollof rice or okra .... you get what i'm saying I'm sure... and so back to the point... the original question is completely childish and so without thought that it seems like a joke.
I innate white privileged ? Talk about a generalization! So much anger here.
Sounds like Ian got himself a heaping plate of innate white privilege.
White privilege is a thing and currently relevant. But I get your frustration about the dead evil white people thing - to a certain degree. I'm white (mostly. the Turkish in me is very little. And I'm a olive-toned southern Italian (a good chunk of me at least) so for all I know there's some Moor in me) but my family never came to the USA til after slavery. And they were from Northern areas so no sketchy Southern stuff too like the killing of innocent black people due to bitterness over the civil war and awful crap like that.
My dad's family were poor immigrants from Italy and on my mom's side, she first gen american born in PA but raised in Puerto Rico. She speaks Spanish fluently. (I suck at it. But I want to improve!)
BUT. At the same time, it's a privilege of sorts to know my ethnicity. Due to the nature of slavery and how little was documented about the slaves - even their names were taken away a lot. Or at least their children were given white people names. But yeah, due to that, their ethnicity was more or less lost.
And African American culture sort of is a mix of southern culture and a hodge podge of African cultures - a melting pot of sorts. And there are people whom may never know their ethnicity because of the selfish actions of those evil white men. So I get the bitterness. I would be upset not knowing parts of my identity. There's a lot of depth to whom they are that they may never know.
Honestly, I'm iffy about payments NOW - as in in present time - to make up for slavery as all ex-slaves are deceased {may they rest in the peace, they deserve} (I DO think they - the ex-slaves - should have paid for sure and its upsetting they werent)...
...but I I think it would be neat to supply free genetic testing to people of African of descent or African immigrants (even visitors). The reason I'm including African immigrants and visitors as this would help identify traits and genes that would help differentiate what ethnicities African Americans are and heck, it would be neat to find someones relative along the way. If the people are close, someone could find out information about their newly discovered ethnicity.
I mean, how many white people think of themselves of European American. Besides maybe white heinz-57s who are a little bit of almost everything.
Also, due to the very real systemic oppression of POC and the vicious cycle within this society, affording a genetic test would be a luxury that many POC either couldn't afford or the money is better off splurging on something else - like toys for their child on x-mas.
People think focusing on race and doing stuff to make amends only widens the divide. This has been, unfortunately true.
But it is widely due to the white/non-POC dissenters and the people fighting making amends and denying white privilege.
If people just accepted things like racial profiling is wrong, a young black man does not equate a thug, every person should be treated the same no matter gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sex, age, etc and affirmative action is ok and BLM has point and so on and so forth, eventually the race issue would fade way.
All it takes is some owning up , not really due to the past, but the present causes by the past. And a united effort to even the playing field for everyone.
Something (a lot of) feminists are trying to do. as are egalitarians. basically they are the same thing. whether people want to believe that or not.
As soon as the field is equal, there would be no vicious cycle, harmful stereotypes would fade, the country would be safer in general (and this goes in every direction, including a POC could walk in a predominately white neighborhood completely at ease). Affirmative action would no longer be necessary.
And while the past will not be forgotten, the anger and bitterness and turmoil it caused could be laid to rest. The memory needs to stay, however, simply so history doesn't repeat itself.
/end. I'm blather on and on. I know. Just really wanted to get some points across. ^^;
I was kinda assuming Ian's inane answer was a direct reaction to the inanity of the *question*.
*the evils of dead white people you're still benefiting from on daily basis in almost every aspect of your white life
I'm two years late but Ian, if you read this, please know that your comment is pathetic.
